I cannot fly my flag today.
Where I live they are flown
Each day as husbands, fathers, wives,
Are far away from home.
They fly until they’re tattered
And blue stars hang near their pole.
They fly ‘til yellow ribbons grace
The doorways of the home.

I cannot fly my flag today.
Though I remember well
That fateful day my world came down,
The day the towers fell.
The day my friend, left widowed,
Stood in terror with us all
Wondering what kind of world
Would follow.

I cannot fly my flag today.
Please do not ask me why.
I’ll go to the assembly.
You’ll probably see me cry.
I’ll hug my children closer,
Friends whose husbands are at war.
I cannot fly my flag today.
I know what it is for.